Selectmen weigh replacing fire department management model
Board of Selectmen · Meeting of July 16, 2026
ESSEX — Selectmen and fire engineers jointly explored restructuring the fire department's management after the Fire Company objected to an approved plan. The Essex Fire Company, represented by Daniel Doucette, Travis Good, and Ramie Reader, said it lacked sufficient time to mount opposition at Town Meeting. Four options were discussed: maintaining the current Board of Fire Engineers while hiring a Fire Captain; hiring a "weak" Fire Chief answerable to the Selectmen; hiring a "strong" Chief with broad authority; or exploring regional oversight.
Only nine communities nationally maintain a Board of Fire Engineers model; over 60 percent of Massachusetts employ a "weak" Fire Chief. The group agreed the "strong" Chief option should remain off the table pending Fire Company verification and committed to reconvening to narrow options.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 296 words
Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of July 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 30-day free trial
Subscribe to Essex News to keep reading this post and get 30 days of free access to the full post archives.
Starting a trial requires a payment method. After 30 free days your subscription begins at the price shown at checkout and renews automatically until you cancel. You can cancel anytime from your account. Subscription terms
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news